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Is it safe to drive your 2016 Ram 4500 with the check engine light on?

If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a strict issue and it is recommended to service your Ram 4500 suddenly. This question is not very straightforward because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to drive. This is consistently indicated by a persistent glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more critical problem. Call the experts at Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram by dialing 9702364701 so you can describe the issues. Or reduce your speed and deliver your 2016 Ram to our certified mechanics as soon as attainable.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2016 Ram 4500?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as natural as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a hazardous problem that could cause hazardous damage to your engine and come with a adequate repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow regularly means something less hazardous but a flashing check engine light indicates that your vehicle’s engine is in hazardous trouble and service is needed expeditiously. If your check engine light is flashing in your 2016 Ram 4500, we incredibly endorse not to drive the vehicle and schedule Ram service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be changed. The mass airflow sensor in your Ram 4500 is what determines how much fuel is needed to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to explicit changes, like altitude. If your Ram 4500 is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a sudden change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2016 Ram 4500’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's work is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Ram service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2016 Ram 4500 will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause extra problems from overheating.
  • Issues with all aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or extra item can wreak havoc on your 2016 Ram 4500 if it’s not installed accordingly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can deposit the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even avert the automobile from starting. If these issues sound aware, bring your 4500 to Ram and have our unit of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed perfectly and aren't causing all issue. Getting accessories, extraordinarily aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts first place might cost a microscopic bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and damage caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be changed. The Oxygen sensor, known as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your automobile will be less practical when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause damage to your catalytic converter and your 2016 Ram 4500's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to suggest the polite collection of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • One of the most aware and copious cause is that your 2016 Ram 4500 gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2016 Ram 4500 serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is departed or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't expensive. If your check engine light turns on abruptly after you put gas in your 2016 Ram 4500, first thing you should check is to make courageous the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are needed for your 2016 Ram 4500. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel collection in the combustion chamber of your automobile. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or departed, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or damage to ignition coils and O2 sensors, central to more expensive repairs.
  • Your 2016 Ram 4500 has a vacuum leak. Every Ram 4500 has a vacuum system that performs a wide variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps cut down harmful emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, extraordinarily if they’re exposed to important heat or extreme immediate.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2016 Ram 4500 is every harsh. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did a bit decades ago, and they don't really require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Ram you drive, but check our current service coupons and specials.

2016 Ram 4500 Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that little light on your vehicle’s dashboard suddenly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear correct away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also instinctive as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your 4500. There are hundreds of different codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a few patience, tackling decisive diagnostics will give you accessible knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is really supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, obvious and fantastic vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of viable OBD codes, there are also hundreds of viable reasons for the light, including:

  • Old Battery
  • O2 Sensor
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Transmission issues
  • Ignition system faults
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Emissions controls issues

This is why it is important for someone who does not have innumerable of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. Call Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram at 9702364701 today or schedule your check engine light service online today! When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out abruptly by a certified Ram mechanic. If the engine light comes on due to a strict concern, you risk damaging your car additional by not repairing the issue correct away.

2016 Ram 4500 Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless probable causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are countless prevailing causes including something as straightforward as a loose gas cap. Contrasting prevailing reasons for a Check Engine Light are faulty head gasket, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, a malfunction with the fuel injection system, faulty emissions control part, or defective spark plugs to name some. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Ram Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as mandatory to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Ram issue was fixed.

Every 2016 Ram 4500 was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the automobile on its crucial systems. The sensors are frequently detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control unit. If the electronic control unit detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is awry nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Tremendously Qualified Service skilled.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

If you check engine light is twinkling, we advocate that you pull over and contact Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram to help designate if your vehicle is safe to drive in or if we advocate a tow truck. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly. Since every check engine code has its own level of severity, it is laborious to predict how copious miles you can drive with the warning light on. It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replenished.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most usually misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2016 Ram 4500 is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few distinct ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light flashes in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your automobile. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored automobile performance since the 80s and do a collection of things for your 2016 Ram 4500. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a few. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a mixture of individual things. It can be as authentic as your gas cap being loose or as unhealthy as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2016 Ram 4500, contact Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Our Ram service department can aid you designate what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram today!

Check Engine Light Service 2016 Ram 4500

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Ram 4500 and quickly, a yellow light lights up on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Ram owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the rate of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t advantage you have to pull the automobile over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2016 Ram 4500 checked as soon as achievable. Ignoring that warning could end up causing big damage to costly engine components.

When your 2016 Ram 4500's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t honest, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is typically labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is read with an electronic probe tool that is used by our Ram auto repair mechanics at Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. There are also a number of relatively honorable code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to learn the issue and repair it.

2016 Ram 4500 Check Engine Light

A twinkling light indicates that the problem is hazardous and if not taken care of shortly may result in primary damage to the vehicle. If the check engine light in your 2016 Ram 4500 starts twinkling, that means that the problem needs hasty attention and your Ram should be brought in shortly. This blinking light usually indicates a harsh engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be ditched into the exhaust system. There it can abruptly raise the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where break is conceivable, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can exactly be the cause. A bad, classic or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a incredibly expensive repair. If your check engine light is blinking, please contact our team of automotive experts at Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram rapidly by calling 9702364701.

Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2016 Ram 4500 will usually shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is repaired. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going functional, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2016 Ram 4500 light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you commute over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to deliver it in to Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not appropriately tightened to a more persuasive failure like a bad catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it advantageous to get the essential code reading and diagnosis. The average cost for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is customarily between $88 and $111. The advantageous news, Mike Shaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help determine the cause of your check engine light.